Special election for transportation commissioner set today

January 11, 2011

By KELLY DANIELS and BRIAN HAWKINS
Starkville Daily News

Todayâ€™s special election for Northern District transportation commissioner will be held in Oktibbeha County and in other counties in north Mississippi.
Amid concerns about the impact of Sundayâ€™s winter storm, wasnâ€™t until 1:15 p.m. Monday when county election commissioners knew for certain that they would open the polls today.
Having waited on Gov. Hailey Barbour to give a thumbs up, it was crunch time opening precincts for todayâ€™s special election. Polls are scheduled to be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today.
Oktibbeha County Circuit Clerk Angie McGinnis said Monday that voters are asked to be patient in case not all of the 21 polling places are ready to open right at 7 a.m. today.
â€śWe normally have that set up and ready to go, but the weather put us in a bind,â€ť McGinnis said. â€śWeâ€™ll have them open as soon as we can.
If a precinct happens to be closed, the Oktibbeha County Courthouse Annex will serve as a default voting site.
Some 142 registered voters have already submitted absentee ballots, McGinnis said.

What voters need to know today

All registered voters in the countyâ€™s 21 voting precincts can vote in todayâ€™s special election, McGinnis said.
â€˘ Because this is a not a primary election, voters will not have to declare a party affiliation when they go to the polls to vote.
Upon entering the polling place, voters will go to the table where poll workers will be waiting for them to sign the poll book and give them the appropriate ballot card for the touch-screen voting machine.
â€˘ Sample ballots will be posted at the polling places.
â€˘ Polling places open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
â€˘ If candidates plan to have poll watchers stationed at the polling places to watch voting, they must submit the appropriate forms to the Circuit Clerkâ€™s Office naming the poll watchers before the poll watchers go to the polling place.
â€˘ No political campaign materials are allowed to be worn, carried or distributed within 150 feet of any polling place, according to state law. Candidates who violate this regulation are subject to being fined.
Bailiffs stationed at each polling place will enforce that regulation, McGinnis said.
â€˘ Voters are reminded not to loiter in the polling place after casting their ballot, McGinnis said.
â€˘ If a resident registered to vote by mail and Tuesdayâ€™s runoff will be the first time they have voted since registering, he or she will be asked to show a valid identification when they arrive at the polling place before being allowed to vote. This is required under the federal Help America Vote Act.
Valid forms of identification include a current and valid photo ID (i.e. a driverâ€™s license), a current utility bill with the voterâ€™s name and address, a bank statement with the voterâ€™s name and address, a government check with the voterâ€™s name and address, a pay check with the voterâ€™s name and address or any other government document that shows the voterâ€™s name and address.
â€˘ All ballots will be counted in the large courtroom at the Oktibbeha County Courthouse Annex after the polls close at 7 p.m.
â€˘ All vote totals released after the initial count Tuesday night are unofficial until the Oktibbeha County Election Commission certifies the results on Wednesday. The certification process will include the counting of any affidavit ballots that are cast, McGinnis said.
Anyone with questions about the election can call the Circuit Clerkâ€™s Office at 323-1356.

Todayâ€™s special election for transportation commission comes after the death of Commissioner Bill Minor on Nov. 1 while attending a trade conference in Biloxi.
The three-member commission oversees budgets and projects for highways, railroads, airports and other transportation services across the state.
The seven candidates for transportation commissioner:
â€˘ John Caldwell, 49, of Nesbit, is transportation director for the DeSoto County School District.
He was a DeSoto County supervisor from 1996 to 2000 and was defeated by Bill Minor in the 2003 commissionerâ€™s race.
Caldwell was on active-duty military service during several months of the 2003 campaign. He said he wants to get the Department of Transportation â€śre-energized and return to working for the people.â€ť
â€˘ Dennis Grisham, 66, of Dumas, is in his seventh term as Tippah County supervisor and is past owner of Grisham Asphalt and Paving Co., with plants in New Albany and Ripley.
He said to most citizens transportation means highways â€” roads to and from work, highways that attract new and expanded industry, and that brings more jobs. He said heâ€™ll attend to those needs.
â€˘ Joey Hood, 35, of Marietta, has worked for the Department of Transportation for 17 years, most recently as Bill Minorâ€™s top assistant.
He said a well-balanced transportation system to the stateâ€™s growth. He said state budgets are tight, and he wants to stretch dollars for highway construction and maintenance.
â€˘ Larry Lee, 58, of Grenada, owns an auto trucks parts business in Grenada.
He said he wants to improve the business practices of the department and restore peopleâ€™s trust in the agency.
â€˘ Warner McBride, 54, a state representative from Courtland and chairman of the House Transportation Committee and worked most of his adult life in his familyâ€™s civil engineering firm, which closed in recent years.
He said that as a lawmaker, he helped fund roads to a Toyota plant thatâ€™s scheduled to open next year in north Mississippi.
â€˘ Ray Minor, 66, of Holly Springs, has he worked with his late brother in their familyâ€™s three hardware stores and as a contractor for plumbing, electrical and heating services.
Minor said he doesnâ€™t have a background in transportation or road building, but he knows highways are important for development. He said if heâ€™s elected, he wants to help rural residents by putting more state money into local roads.
â€˘ Mike Tagert, 40, of Starkville, is president of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Council.
He said highways are important and bring jobs to Mississippi, but ports along the stateâ€™s rivers and the Gulf Coast should also be developed.